Talvikki
Elementalist
- Nov 18, 2021
- 818
First person in the world dies in 'suicide capsule' in Switzerland.
A 64-year-old woman passed away in Switzerland on Monday using a specially designed 'suicide capsule' filled with nitrogen gas. This was the first time a person died in such a capsule. The so-called Sarco, according to its creators, provides a "quick, peaceful, and reliable death" without the need for a doctor or medication. The suicide capsule was developed and built in the Netherlands, reports Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant.
The woman, an American who had traveled to Switzerland specifically for this purpose, initiated the dying process herself while lying in the capsule — a chamber the size of a coffin — with the press of a button. The Sarco then filled with nitrogen gas, and within a minute, the oxygen level dropped to nearly zero.
Dr Death
The inventor, Philip Nitschke (77), an Australian doctor and physicist who has lived in the Netherlands for ten years and is also known as "Dr. Death," worked for twelve years on developing the capsule, according to *De Volkskrant*. In 1996, he became the first doctor in the world to administer a legal lethal injection to a patient. His Sarco is a controversial invention.
The capsule was placed in a remote forest location near the Swiss city of Schaffhausen for the occasion, reports say. Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world where assisted suicide is permitted under certain conditions. Every year, thousands of people, mostly from abroad, take advantage of this option.
Nitschke reportedly monitored the Swiss woman's dying process remotely via oxygen and heart rate monitors, as well as a camera inside the capsule. According to him, the euthanasia went smoothly. The woman is said to have paid only 18 Swiss francs (about 19 euros) for the process, which is the exact cost of the nitrogen gas used.
Arrest
After the woman passed away, the organization overseeing the death informed the Swiss police. According to *De Volkskrant*, Florian Willet, the director of the Swiss organization *The Last Resort*, may have been arrested as he was present during the woman's assisted suicide.
The Schaffhausen police also reportedly arrested a *Volkskrant* photographer who had been closely following the event and attempted to take photos. The reason for this arrest is unclear. The newspaper lost contact with the photographer for several hours. By Monday evening, the local police informed the paper that the photographer was being held at the police station but provided no further explanation regarding the possible arrest, as *De Volkskrant* reported. On Tuesday morning, the Swiss police only confirmed that an "operation" had taken place near Schaffhausen.
A 64-year-old woman passed away in Switzerland on Monday using a specially designed 'suicide capsule' filled with nitrogen gas. This was the first time a person died in such a capsule. The so-called Sarco, according to its creators, provides a "quick, peaceful, and reliable death" without the need for a doctor or medication. The suicide capsule was developed and built in the Netherlands, reports Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant.
The woman, an American who had traveled to Switzerland specifically for this purpose, initiated the dying process herself while lying in the capsule — a chamber the size of a coffin — with the press of a button. The Sarco then filled with nitrogen gas, and within a minute, the oxygen level dropped to nearly zero.
Dr Death
The inventor, Philip Nitschke (77), an Australian doctor and physicist who has lived in the Netherlands for ten years and is also known as "Dr. Death," worked for twelve years on developing the capsule, according to *De Volkskrant*. In 1996, he became the first doctor in the world to administer a legal lethal injection to a patient. His Sarco is a controversial invention.
The capsule was placed in a remote forest location near the Swiss city of Schaffhausen for the occasion, reports say. Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world where assisted suicide is permitted under certain conditions. Every year, thousands of people, mostly from abroad, take advantage of this option.
Nitschke reportedly monitored the Swiss woman's dying process remotely via oxygen and heart rate monitors, as well as a camera inside the capsule. According to him, the euthanasia went smoothly. The woman is said to have paid only 18 Swiss francs (about 19 euros) for the process, which is the exact cost of the nitrogen gas used.
Arrest
After the woman passed away, the organization overseeing the death informed the Swiss police. According to *De Volkskrant*, Florian Willet, the director of the Swiss organization *The Last Resort*, may have been arrested as he was present during the woman's assisted suicide.
The Schaffhausen police also reportedly arrested a *Volkskrant* photographer who had been closely following the event and attempted to take photos. The reason for this arrest is unclear. The newspaper lost contact with the photographer for several hours. By Monday evening, the local police informed the paper that the photographer was being held at the police station but provided no further explanation regarding the possible arrest, as *De Volkskrant* reported. On Tuesday morning, the Swiss police only confirmed that an "operation" had taken place near Schaffhausen.
